My Bones
by FaithinBones
Summary: Brennan makes a friend under very unusal circumstances. This story is very AU.
1. Chapter 1

Happy Halloween. This story is AU. I hope you enjoy it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

She'd been working for the Jeffersonian for about a year when she had a most unusual event occur in her life. She had started out her morning like most of her mornings by removing bones from a box in Bones Storage and laying them out on a steel table.

The bones were that of a child, a thirteen old boy to be exact. Before she examined them she read the file resting in the box with the bones. The child's body had been found in a forest outside of Philadelphia by deer hunters in Bucks County. When the hunters had found it, the body was mostly decomposed and had been more skeleton than fleshy body. The Bucks County Sheriff's office had tried to find out who the boy was and that included running advertisements in newspapers in the surrounding area including Philadelphia, but no one had ever stepped forward to claim the body. When the Jeffersonian Institute had opened its Medico-Legal Lab, the Sheriff had the bones transferred there in hopes that someday the boy's identity would be found.

Silently, Brennan placed the file down and began her examination of the small bones. While she worked she discovered that the boy had been murdered. The boy had suffered blunt force trauma to his trachea. It was as if someone had punched him in his neck and crushed the trachea. He had numerous signs of abuse including remodeled bones and this made her sad. His short life had been filled with pain.

After she made a few notations in the file, she became aware of movement out of the corner of her eye and looked towards the door. Surprised to see a young boy standing there, she faced the child and admonished him. "You aren't supposed to be here. No visitors are allowed in this part of the Lab."

A cheery smile on his face, the boy moved closer and stopped four feet from the table. "I know. I'm not a visitor." His dark hair was very wavy and stood up in spikes. His brown eyes were warm and filled with laughter. "I was wondering when someone was going to look at these. It's been a long time."

Confused, Brennan shook her head. "I don't understand. Do you know something about this case?"

A cocky smile on his face, the boy placed his thumbs in the belt at his waist. "Well yeah. Those bones belong to me."

Her eyes flicked over the bones and back towards the child. "These bones belong to the Bucks County Sheriff's office. Since you are a child, you are in no way associated with the Sheriff's office therefore these bones do not belong to you."

Inching closer, the boy stood on the opposite side of the table and looked down at the bones. "I made him mad. He was drunk like he always was and he just got so mad at me and he hit me." The boy lost his beautiful smile and became rather grim. "I couldn't breathe. He kept begging me to forgive him, but I couldn't breathe. I didn't want to go, but well you have to breathe you know?"

Her confusion growing, Brennan looked at the crushed trachea and then back at the boy. "If this is a joke, it isn't a very good one. Yes the boy died of a crushed trachea, but . . . well you are clearly fine therefore what you just said makes no sense. I think you should leave now."

The child shrugged his shoulders. "I will . . . when you find out who I am, could you give my bones to my grandfather? I loved him so much. He was the only one who ever loved me, well him and Nana. My father hated me and my mother . . . well, I don't know where she is, but if she'd loved me she would have taken me with her when she ran away. I don't want you to give my bones to my father. He hated me and I don't want him to have my bones."

Brennan prided herself on logic and reasoning and she certainly didn't believe in an afterlife or ghosts. "I think your prank has gone on long enough. You need to leave."

"I can't." The boy's cocky smile was back. "When you give my bones to my grandfather then I'll leave. If you give to me to my Dad, I promise you I'm going to haunt you until you die, so don't even think about it, Okay?"

"This is ludicrous." Brennan's anger was growing. She hated it when anyone tried to make a fool of her. "There are no such things as ghosts or angels. You are not a ghost and therefore you need to leave. This is a restricted area."

"You're pretty smart, but you're kind of being silly right now." The child pointed at the skull and then at his head. "This is me. Those are my bones. I've been waiting for years for someone to figure out who I am, so my grandfather would know what happened to me. I visited him right after I died and he was worried about me. My father said I ran away and my Pops was afraid, but my Dad lied and he knows it. He hit me and I couldn't breathe and then he drove me to some woods and he dumped my body. That wasn't very nice, but I guess he didn't want to get into trouble. He was mean you know. He was always hitting me. I got tired of it and I was going to kill myself, but he hit me too hard and he killed me before I could kill myself. That's called irony. I learned about irony in English class."

She refused to believe that the boy standing before her was a ghost. Moving around the table, she tried to grab his arm only to have her hand move through his arm and part of his chest. Startled she leaped back. "This is impossible."

His cocky grin back, the boy shook his head. "Not really. What's impossible is doing a Rubik's Cube. I got one for Christmas and I never could get all the sides to be one color. I did get two sides once, but I couldn't do all the sides. I'm not stupid like my Dad said I was. Some people are better at stuff than others and that's okay. It doesn't mean someone's stupid just because they can't make all the colors the same on a game."

"You're right." Brennan had played with one in her past and she had worked out the method needed to get all the faces of the cube the same color. "Your father shouldn't have called you stupid because you were unable to solve the riddle."

The boy nodded his head. "Thanks. You're nice. I like you."

Surprised, Brennan shook her head. "You don't know me. How do you know I'm nice?"

He chuckled and cocked his head to the side. "Because you're talking to me like I'm not stupid. A lot of adults think kids are stupid. Also you're going to find out who I am and you're going to give my bones to my grandfather."

She smiled at the child and nodded her head. "Yes, I will find out who you are . . . if these are really your bones then perhaps you can just tell me who you are. It will save time and I can give your bones to your grandfather sooner."

"That would be cheating wouldn't it?" The boy stared the skull on the table. "I don't think you should cheat. You'll never be the greatest forensic anthropologist in the world if you cheat."

His logic was sound and she approved. "Yes, you are correct. I will find out who these bones belong to without your help."

Filled with approval, the boy nodded his head. "Like I said you're nice and I like you . . . I hated it in the woods. I'm a city kid and the animals came and they ate me and that was bad. I'd tell them to leave, but they wouldn't listen to me. I'm glad those guys found me even if one of them did throw up. That was kinda of gross. The Sheriff's office was nice, but everyone was always busy. This place is really quiet. Do you like it this quiet? I like loud music. The louder the better. It makes me want to dance and I'm pretty good. My Mom taught me."

Brennan turned her attention back to the bones. "Yes, I like music. I don't really dance very well though. My parents . . . I lost my parents when I was fifteen so there was no one to teach me how to dance."

Filled with sadness the boy sighed. "Gosh, that's bad. I'm sorry you don't have any parents . . . I had some, but they weren't good ones. I hope your parents were good to you."

"They were." Brennan thought about her father and mother playing Sorry with her and smiled. "They played board games and card games with me. My father never let me win. He said you had to earn it."

The boy nodded his head. "Yeah he's right. You do have to earn it. You don't learn if you cheat or if someone cheats for you."

"Dr. Brennan, who are you talking to?" Dr. Goodman was standing in the doorway and was staring around the room. "I thought I heard you talking to someone."

Embarrassed, Brennan glanced across the table and found the boy to be gone. "I wasn't talking to anyone. I was just thinking out loud."

Goodman smiled. "Yes, I do that sometimes myself. It helps me to organize my thoughts sometime." Turning he left the room, leaving Brennan alone.

"I still don't believe in ghosts." Brennan glanced around the room and shook her head. "I do have a vivid imagination though. I might write a book someday."

A child's laughter rang out in the room. "I wish I hadn't died. I'd like to have been your friend. I understand you. You're cool."

"That would have been nice." Brennan didn't have any friends and sometimes she felt so alone. "That would have been very nice."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my Halloween story. Thank you.


	2. Chapter 2

(Before The Pilot)

This story is very AU.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Her day had been long and rather sad. The funeral had had just three mourners, Hank Booth, his grandson Jared and herself. She had found out the identity of the child who had been murdered by his father and she had turned over the remains to the boy's grandfather. Edwin Booth had been arrested for the murder of his son and the case was now closed.

After a long soak in her bathtub, Brennan dressed in her robe, moved into the living room and was startled when she spied the boy sitting on her couch. "What are you doing here? I gave your bones to your grandfather per your request. Shouldn't you be somewhere else now?"

A bright cheery smile on his face, the youngster stood up and moved closer to Brennan. Once he was just a mere foot away, he stopped. "Thank you for coming to my funeral. I heard Pops tell Jared that you paid for it. Thanks. My Pops doesn't have a lot of money . . . Why did you come to my funeral?"

"I'm not sure." Brennan walked around the ghostly boy and moved over to the couch where she sat down. "Perhaps I was curious."

"Nah." Seeley Booth moved across the room and sat down next to her. "You're just nice and you knew the only family I have is my Pops and my brother. You can't count my Dad since he always hated me and I don't know where my mother is. Anyway, thank you for coming to my funeral. It was nice. I liked the coffin. I've never seen one before, but it was nice. I like the blue material inside. Blue is my favorite color."

Not sure why she was so relaxed, Brennan leaned back against the couch and crossed her legs. "Yes, your grandfather told me that when we were at the funeral home. He said you loved playing sports too."

"Gosh yeah." Seeley nodded his head very energetically. "I wanted to play football, but my Dad wouldn't let me. He said it cost too much money. I was going to get a part time job to help pay for it for my sophomore year, but . . . anyway, I love hockey too. I'm pretty good . . . I was pretty good."

The look of sadness on the boy made Brennan feel sad in turn. "I'm sorry you didn't get to play sports in school. While examining your bones, I saw that you were a robust child. I'm sure you would have been quite good if you had been allowed to play."

He didn't know what robust meant, but it sounded like a good thing. "Can we be friends?"

Surprised that he was asking her that, Brennan frowned. "Now that we have found your murderer and you've been given a funeral I thought you were supposed to go to heaven or something. I don't believe in heaven, but surely you're not supposed to stay here."

"Well, you don't believe in ghosts, but you're talking to me aren't you?" Seeley chuckled. "I don't want to go yet. I mean, I never had a lot of friends before I died." His face grim, the boy sighed. "Well, I didn't really have any friends. It's kind of hard to have friends when you're Dad hates you and he hits you all the time . . . but anyway, you're my friend and I want to stay with you for a while . . . please? I'll be a good friend. I know jokes and I can teach you how to dance and I can teach you how to skate. I'd be a good friend . . . oh and you can tell me anything because I won't tell anyone else. Who would I tell since I'm dead?"

She wondered why she wasn't fighting this situation. There was no such thing as ghosts and yet here was the spirit of a dead boy in her living room chatting with her. He was a charming boy and she knew that if he'd grown to be a man, he would probably have been hard to resist. "I don't have any friends either. I suppose it wouldn't hurt anything if we were friends for a while, but sooner or later you must move on to wherever you're supposed to go."

Grateful to his new found friend, Seeley stood up and clapped his hands. "Thanks. Hey can I hang out in your guest bedroom when you're asleep? It could be my room."

Her gaze darting to the guest bedroom, Brennan nodded her head. "Yes, of course. There will be some rules though. You may not enter the bathroom when I'm in it . . ."

"Ew." Seeley's nose wrinkled. "Why would I want to go to the bathroom with you? That would be gross."

Chuckling, Brennan shrugged her shoulders. "We all have normal bodily functions. Well you probably don't. Also you may not come into my bedroom if I have company."

"Company? Like a date?" Seeley blushed. "After my mother left, Dad had ladies over for dates. Don't worry, I won't bother you when you're dating."

"Good." Brennan was starting to feel a little ridiculous. She was science all the way and the boy represented the spiritual side of things. Everyone knew that those things were just wishful thinking, mere superstitions.

"Can I call you Temperance?" Seeley moved over to the bookshelf and stared at the books on the shelves. "Don't you have a television? I like books, but I wouldn't mind having a TV to watch sometimes."

"Yes you may call me Temperance if you wish." Brennan stood up and joined the boy at the bookshelf. "I don't watch television. I usually don't have time. I read, listen to music and work."

Wistfully, Seeley stared around the living room. "Okay, it was just . . . it's okay. Maybe I'll read your books."

A feeling of guilt moving through her, Brennan found herself annoyed that she was suddenly responsible for a boy's entertainment. "I suppose I could buy a small television for the guest bedroom."

Ecstatic, Seeley turned and tried to hug his friend only to step through her. "Oops. Sorry . . . um, thank you."

"You're welcome." When the boy had moved through her, she had found the situation rather disturbing, but she was unafraid. "It's been a long day, I'm going to bed." Without a backward look, Brennan moved towards her bedroom, entered the room and closed the door behind her.

Embarrassed, Seeley sighed. "I hope I didn't make her mad. She's so nice." Concentrating very hard, the boy removed one of the books from the book shelf, carried it over to the kitchen table and opened it. _Maybe if I concentrated hard enough I could touch Temperance_. _Hm, 'Nomads and the Outside World'. I hope this is interesting. Anyway, it's got camels._

Oooooooooooooooooooo

A few weeks went by and Brennan and her ghostly roommate acquired a routine. While Brennan was at work, the boy read some of her books or went outside and did some people watching in the neighborhood. It was a little boring for the youngster, but the nights made it worthwhile. When Brennan came home, she would change clothes while Seeley stood outside the door and talked to her. She usually talked about her day and what she did to identify whatever lost one she was working on in Bones Storage. Seeley found it fascinating and his vocabulary started to grow.

Once her clothes were changed, she usually cooked dinner for herself with the boy watching her. At first she was self-conscious eating in front of her young friend, but he assured her that he wasn't hungry. Of course that didn't keep him from making remarks about what she was eating. "You should eat pizza sometimes. My Nana used to say it's the food of the Gods. She was half Italian and she said the Italians invented a lot of great food. I love pizza."

A few days later, she ordered a mushroom pizza and agreed with the boy. "I really don't eat take-out food too much, but I can see I should make exceptions."

Puzzled the boy shook his head. "You kind of act like you've never eaten pizza before."

"Well, I have." Brennan took a bite of her slice, chewed it and swallowed it. "When I was in foster care my foster parents didn't buy pizza and while I was in college, I had to watch my budget. Pizza was too expensive."

"Oh, that makes sense." Seeley licked his lips. "It sure looks good. Still I'm glad you ordered it. I can't eat any, but boy I sure love seeing pizza. Maybe you should order Chinese food sometimes. Dad ordered that a lot after Mom left. I like it. Not as good as pizza, but it's pretty good too."

After sipping some beer, Brennan placed the bottle back down on the table. "I ordered a television. It's supposed to be delivered here tomorrow morning. It's going into your room, so you may watch it when I'm not here."

His eyes large, Seeley stood up and thrust his fist into the air. "Oh boy, thank you. Yes, yes, yes." Filled with happiness the boy sat back down. "I like your books, but they're hard to read. I have to use the dictionary a lot. Thank you for buying me a TV."

"You're welcome." Brennan picked up another slice of pizza. "I'll see about buying books aimed at boys your age. Reading is important."

"Yeah." Seeley leaned back against his chair. "I like to read. I love television better though."

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A/N: I know I'm probably just writing this story for myself, but I want to share this story with anyone interested in it. There is a total of five chapters in this story.


	3. Chapter 3

(Before The Pilot)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it. Remember this story is very AU.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

"What do you mean you're working for the FBI?" The boy paced outside of Brennan's bedroom as she changed clothes. "That sounds kind of dangerous. You're not a policeman."

"Don't worry about it." Brennan opened the door and stepped out into the living room. "I do know how to take care of myself and you do remember I've been in war zones numerous times. I've a black belt in self-defense. You've seen me practice. You've practiced with me."

Frustrated, Seeley followed her into the kitchen. "But you had soldiers to protect you in the war zones and you've never had to use self-defense on bad guys before. Who's going to protect you if some bad guy hits you or something? You need a partner to help you."

"Seeley, the FBI is going to send over to the Lab some remains for me to identify." Pausing in the doorway, Brennan faced her ghostly friend. "They need my expertise to help with a closed case and I'm going to do it, so stop fussing at me."

His hands in his jeans pockets, Seeley nodded his head. "Okay, I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't." Brennan entered the kitchen. "The FBI Agent that contacted me appears to be frustrated with his investigation and he'd like me to help him. If all goes well and I'm able to help with this case, perhaps I can get a contract with the FBI. I think it would be a good use of my time to help the FBI solve cases they are unable to do for themselves."

Arms now across his chest, Seeley twisted his lips momentarily as the thought about it. "Yeah, you did find out who I was and now Dad is in jail for killing me and that was pretty cool." Finally he nodded his head. "Okay, I get it. Still you have to be careful."

"I will be." Brennan removed the ingredients for a simple pasta sauce from the fridge and smiled. "You know for someone who's dead, you certainly are fearful."

"Well, I got cause." Seeley moved into the kitchen. "Don't forget I know what it's like to be killed. It hurts and I don't want you to get hurt. You're my best friend . . . hey how is that artist you hired working out for you? Can I meet her? I won't let her know I'm around. I just thought it might be cool to visit the Lab again. It's been a few years since I've been there and well, I won't embarrass you or anything."

Surprised with his request, Brennan nodded her head. "Of course you can visit the Lab. I never told you that you couldn't. Just make sure that no one sees you. It would be too hard to explain who you are."

Amused, Seeley laughed. "Aw, no one knows I'm real, but you and you don't believe in ghosts, or at least that's what you keep telling me." Snickering, the boy shuffled further into the room and suddenly threw his arms out. "Boo!" His laughter ringing out into the kitchen, the youngster laughed so hard he held his hand over his side.

Her eyes rolled as she shook her head. "You have a very strange sense of humor."

His laughter now under control, Seeley sat down at the table. "Hey, you're the one who claims there aren't any ghosts and yet here I am. If I'm not a ghost then what am I?"

"I don't know." Brennan tried to be reasonable with her young friend. "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. That's from the play Hamlet written by William Shakespeare. It means that are a lot of things in this world that exist but we don't know how or why. Sometimes things are just not explicable."

Impressed, Seeley nodded his head. "Yeah, that's cool. I'm still learning stuff. I used to hate school, but now that I can't go I miss it. Thank you for buying me those books about NASA to read and thanks for the new cable package. They have some cool channels like the National Geographic Channel. Oh hey and the Discovery Channel. They have Shark Week. That is so cool. You should watch TV with me."

"Maybe I will." Brennan cut up some garlic and began sautéing it in a pan. "Now stop worrying about the FBI, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." The boy smiled at his friend. "Don't burn the garlic."

"I won't." Brennan quickly stirred the garlic pieces as they started to scorch. "I may have the heat up too high."

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Seeley was at the Lab when FBI Agent Timothy Sullivan swaggered into the Brennan's office. "Okay, we nailed the bastard. Judge Hasty is going down for murder and it's all because of you. Thanks."

Glad for the good news, Brennan stood up from her desk and moved over to the doorway where Sully was standing. "That's good to hear. I told you that if the evidence existed, I'd find it."

"Yeah you did." Sully grinned. "Hey, why don't we go out and get a drink to celebrate?"

Surprised at the offer, Brennan walked over to her coat tree and retrieved her purse. "That sounds like an excellent idea." Aware that Seeley was in the room, Brennan paused in the doorway. "I really need to be home by at least nine. There is something on television I wish to see."

"Not a problem although I was hoping I was more entertaining than TV." Sully was intrigued with Temperance Brennan and wanted to see her, a lot of her if he got the chance.

As the couple walked away, Seeley fumed and crossed his arms against his chest. "I'm her best friend, not that . . . gosh." He didn't want to share Brennan with anyone, but it looked like he didn't get a say in the situation. "If I was alive . . . man, I hate being dead."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

She came home late that night and entered the apartment in a very good mood. Placing her purse on the sideboard, she entered the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. Carrying it into the living room, she was surprised not to see her young friend. "Seeley?"

The apartment much too quiet, Brennan walked into the guest bedroom and found her young ghostly friend sitting on the bed staring at her. "I'm sorry I missed watching that television show you wanted me to see."

A sad look on his face, Seeley nodded his head. "It's okay."

Relieved that the boy was alright, she left his room and entered her room to change clothes.

After she left, Seeley stood up and walked over to the bedroom window. Pulling the curtain aside, he stared down at the quiet street below and wondered if it was time for him to move on. _Maybe she won't be lonely anymore. That's a good thing. She'd have Angela and that guy . . . Maybe she won't need me to be her friend anymore._ Sadly, he rubbed his face and watched a car drive down the street. _Nah_ , _I guess I better not leave just in case she needs me. I'm all she's got. It's okay if she's friends with that guy. I don't care. I'm her family._

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Brennan was upset and she wasn't sure what to do about it. Sully's partner had been murdered and he was shaken up about it. She had worked a few cases with Sully and Agent Leblanc and she had considered the murdered agent to be patient and an excellent investigator. He had been Sully's partner for three years and now he had to accept that his partner and friend was gone.

She really wanted to help Sully, but she knew she was terrible when it came to heart issues and that made her sad. Sitting on her couch, she stared at her phone debating whether or not to call Sully.

"What's wrong, Temperance." Seeley stood in the doorway of the guest room and wondered why his friend was sad.

"Sully's partner was killed this morning." Brennan placed the phone on the coffee table and leaned back against the couch. "He tried to stop a bank robbery in progress and he was killed.

"Gosh that's bad." Seeley moved across the room and sat down. "I bet Sully is upset."

Grimly, Brennan moved her gaze back towards the phone. "Yes he is. I'd like to comfort him, but I'm not sure it would come across as sincere. I'm not very good in social situations like this. I could make the situation worse for him."

"No way." The ghostly boy hated it when his friend doubted herself. "What are you talking about? You're kind and so nice. Why not just call him and talk to him? I bet he'd appreciate that more than anything. I know I would if someone I liked died."

Hopeful, Brennan picked up the phone. "But what do I say?"

Seeley shrugged his shoulders. "It probably doesn't matter what you say. Maybe you can just say you're calling him to check on him. Just see what he says and then maybe you'll know what to say next. You talk to me pretty good. Just play it by ear."

"Yes, but I've known you for nine years." Brennan nervously made the call. "You're easy to talk to."

Filled with pride, the boy smiled. "Well, we're family, that's why."

The phone ringing, Brennan turned to stare at her friend. "You think I'm part of your family?"

"Sure, you kidding?" Seeley moved a little closer. "We've been family for a long time. If I wasn't your family you wouldn't have anyone and that would be wrong. As for me, well Pops has Jared so he's not alone and my parents, well, you and me are family. That's just the way it is. We're always going to be family no matter what."

Sully answered his phone and Brennan spent the next few minutes consoling her partner. She felt awkward, but Seeley sitting next to her gave her encouraging smiles and she managed to do what she had hoped to accomplish. Once the call was complete, Brennan placed the phone back on the table. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Proud that he had helped her, he stood up and moved towards the guest bedroom. "Hey lets watch TV. Maybe we can find something funny to watch."

Grateful that she had someone in her life like Seeley Booth, Brennan followed him into the bedroom and sat on the chair next to the bed. "I do think of you as family Seeley."

"Thanks." The boy picked up the remote and started searching channels. "Thanks a lot. I love you too."

"You love me?" Brennan hadn't thought about what it meant to be part of the boy's family and it made her feel warm knowing that there was someone in the world that actually loved her.

"Sure I do." Seeley stopped fiddling with the remote. "Like I said we're family and we love each other. No matter what happens you have me. I won't ever leave you. Not ever."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	4. Chapter 4

(The Man in the Fallout Shelter)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

"Why are you still here?" The sound of his voice startled her. Turning from her laptop she found Seeley standing just inside her office.

"I'm under quarantine right now." Brennan kept her voice low so that anyone passing in the hallway wouldn't hear her. "I was exposed to coccidioidomycosis."

His hand rubbing the back of his neck, Seeley stared at Brennan in confusion. "What's cox . . . uh what you said?"

She recognized that he was nervous and exhibiting signs of fright. "It's commonly called Valley Fever. Don't worry though. I took a cocktail of four anti-fungal drugs. I should be fine. They're just keeping me here until the tests come back negative."

Not sure if he should trust Brennan's optimism, Seeley moved over to the chair in front of her desk and sat down. "You're not going to die are you?"

"Of course, but not right now." Brennan smiled at the ghostly teenager. "The CDC is just being cautious. I'm fine."

His shoulders hunched over, Seeley continued to worry about his friend. "Who's here besides you? You're not alone are you?"

"No, I'm not alone." Brennan checked the hallway and noticed that it was still empty. "Angela is here as well as Dr. Hodgins, Zach and Sully."

Displeased, Seeley frowned. "Sully? Why is he here?"

Amused that her young friend was jealous, Brennan smiled. "He's the one who brought the body in for me to identify. Apparently the victim was exposed to Valley Fever before he died."

"Figures." Seeley was not impressed with Brennan's partner. "Why'd he bring you a body to look at a couple of days before Christmas? What is he, like the Grinch or something?"

Familiar with the Grinch since she and Seeley watched Christmas specials every year, Brennan knew her young friend was upset that their Christmas plans night be ruined. "Don't worry, Seeley. We're still going to celebrate Christmas together even if it is late."

"I'm not worried about that." The boy was irritated that Sully had been inconsiderate of his friend and that was just one more thing that bothered him about 'peanut'. "I just don't want you to get sick because of your idiot partner."

"He's not an idiot, Seeley." Brennan stood up and walked over to her coffee table and picked up a bottle of water. After she twisted the cap off, she paused. "He was given a job to do and he did it. Dr. Hodgins didn't follow protocols and that is why we were exposed to Valley Fever. Sully is just a victim of circumstance."

"Yeah, circumstance." The boy shook his head. "I'm going to stay here and keep you company until you can go home."

After she swallowed some water, Brennan placed the cap back on the bottle. "Thank you, but that won't be necessary. You may go home if you find it boring here."

"Nah, I'm staying." Seeley sighed. "No way you're spending Christmas without your family."

Since she really couldn't touch him, Brennan did the next best thing by placing her hand on the back of the chair he was sitting on. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Seeley stood in the corner of Brennan's office and fumed quietly. Sully had entered Brennan's office and had started flirting with her as soon as he sat down. The boy considered Sully to be a pain in the butt. The FBI Agent liked to hang out in Brennan's apartment a lot and him hogging her attention at the Lab was just more of the same. Brennan had told him that she couldn't date the man because of a non-fraternization rule at the FBI, but Sully still flirted with her all the time and she didn't seem to mind.

Since he was a ghost and he'd be a young teenager forever Seeley knew that Brennan would always just be his best friend and family, but nothing more. He would never grow up to be a man and that made him sad. Still, he was in Brennan's life and he would be until the day she died. His plan was to move on with her when she died and she knew that. She didn't believe in heaven or hell, but Seeley knew they existed and she would realize they existed in the end too.

"So Bren, how much longer do you think we're going to have to stay here?" Sully was bored and he wanted his freedom. "Lie to me and tell me soon."

"Soon." Brennan replied rather curtly. Sully's whining was starting to bother her. The man was too restless for his own good. "At least we solved the murder of Lionel Little while we were forced to remain here."

Sully just didn't understand how Brennan could be so calm about the situation. He hated to be cooped up anywhere. "You know I had plans. I was going to visit my parents for the holidays, but I missed my flight and no way I can get another one now. This is the shittiest Christmas ever."

Her gaze moved over to where Seeley was standing and saw him stick his tongue out and waggle it at Sully. The sight amused her and made her laugh.

"Well, you may think that's funny, but I sure as hell don't." Angry, Sully stood up. "Just because you don't believe in Christmas and all the stuff that goes with it doesn't mean it's funny that the rest of us miss out on an important day like this."

"I wasn't laughing at you." Brennan knew that Sully was angry, but at that point she wasn't sure she cared. "I thought of something amusing and I laughed . . . Instead of constantly complaining about the situation why not accept it? It would certainly be conducive with maintaining good blood pressure. Your constant bad mood about something you have no control over is not good for your health."

"Right." Sully was not about to let her squint talk him into a good mood. "Well forgive me, but I'm not a Vulcan." His anger threatening to boil over, the Agent stalked out of the room.

Outraged, Seeley crossed the room and stood next to his friend. "Hey, you are not a Vulcan. He's just being all pissy and he's taking it out on you."

"I'm not sure what a Vulcan is, but thank you." Brennan sighed. "I don't do well with some social situations. I suppose he wanted me to be sympathetic to his plight, but I find that hard to do. I may not believe in Christmas, but I celebrate it with you. He has no idea who I am and apparently he isn't willing to try to find out."

"Temperance, don't be sad." The boy hated to see her sad. "You know Peanut is kind of self-centered. He's always talking about changing jobs. Gosh he's had so many already and he never seems satisfied. I'd hate to be that guy."

"Yes, you're right." Brennan agreed with her friend. "I wouldn't be surprised if he quits the FBI soon."

Pleased at the idea, Booth smiled. "Yeah, well maybe the next time they'll give you a better partner than he is."

Oooooooooooooooo

The quarantine over, Brennan entered her apartment and found the strings of lights on the Christmas tree were on and the lights in the living room were off. "Lovely."

Eager to celebrate Christmas, Seeley pointed at the tree. "Thanks for buying the Star Wars figurine for the tree. It's cool and I really like the Flyers Hockey Christmas balls."

Glad to be home at last, Brennan sat down on the couch so she could stare at the tree in comfort. "Well since you never want anything for Christmas, I thought new decorations you might like would be appropriate."

Standing next to the tree, the boy tried to breathe on the ball to see if he could make it move. "Darn, I guess when you're dead you don't have breaths. At least if I think hard I can touch stuff." Seeley poked the ball and watched it sway a little. "I really love this Temperance. You're the best friend I ever had and I mean ever."

"You're welcome." Brennan knew the boy loved sports and Star Wars and she wanted him to enjoy his holiday. "Maybe I can buy more sports related balls next year for you."

"Thank you." Booth pointed at the coffee table and blushed. "It was hard to do and it took me a long time to find it, but I have a present for you too."

A little shocked, Brennan sat up and looked at the coffee table. Sitting on top of a white napkin was a small stone. It was about two inches by one inch wide, completely smooth and a light tan in color. "What's this?"

A little embarrassed, the boy looked down at the toes of his shoes. "I looked in the park all summer while you were at work until I could find the perfect rock. It had to be completely smooth because I didn't want it to be rough when you touched it. When I finally found it, I had to concentrate really hard to carry it back here. It took me all day to do that, but I wanted to give you a present . . . it's stupid isn't it. I'm sorry."

Tears sprang to her eyes and she knew it was because the boy cared so much about her that he desperately wanted to give her something. Quickly picking up the rock, she stood up and moved over to where her friend was standing. "Seeley, if I could hug you I would. I really love my present. I don't think anyone has ever worked so hard to give me a present. I love it and I love you."

Swallowing, the boy looked up with hope on his face. "Really?"

"Yes really." Brennan kissed the stone and then looked at Seeley. "I love it, Seeley. I really do."

His emotions swinging back to happiness, Seeley grinned at Brennan. "Merry Christmas Temperance."

"Merry Christmas Seeley." Brennan had been lonely for many years and hadn't realized just how much she missed being with someone who loved her until this ghostly boy had entered her life. "Let's turn the TV on and see if they're playing any Christmas movies."

"Maybe they'll show 'A Christmas Carol'." Seeley gave her sly smile. "You know the one with ghosts."

"There are no such things as ghosts." She knew it was a ridiculous thing to say considering she had been living with a thirteen year old ghost for over ten years, but still she did have a reputation to keep.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	5. Chapter 5

(Two Bodies in the Lab)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

He was afraid and she knew it. "Seeley I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. No one was shooting at me."

"But I saw it on the news this evening and the reporter said you were almost hit with a bullet." Seeley was terrified. Brennan was working on a Mob case and he'd seen enough TV to know that was dangerous. "Maybe you shouldn't be working this case. Where was Sully? Why didn't he protect you? He's your partner."

"Seeley!" Brennan heard the panic in the boy's voice and she knew she needed to calm him down. "I was there, the reporter wasn't. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The case I'm working on is very old. The criminal organizations involved in the case probably don't care about what I'm doing."

"Well, I'm going to follow you around and try to protect you." The boy was calmer, but he was now determined to protect her. "Sully should be protecting you and since he won't I will."

Since she knew she couldn't stop him, Brennan sighed. "You may follow me around, but you may not make your presence known. I need you to behave alright?"

Determined to be with her, Seeley was willing to agree to her demand. "Well sure. I'll only let someone see me if they're going to do something bad to you."

She knew that he would keep his word, so she nodded her head. "Fine. I have to go look at something Angela wanted me to see. Once I'm done I plan to work for a few more hours on the remains on the platform and then we can go home. If you get bored you can go back home and wait for me there."

"Didn't I just say I'm going to go where you go?" Frustrated that she wasn't taking her almost murder seriously, Seeley crossed his arms against his chest. "I came over here to make sure you're okay and I'll leave when you do."

She knew he meant well, so she shrugged her shoulders and walked over to the doorway of her office. "Fine, have it your way."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

After several hours of work at the Lab, Brennan was ready to go home. Seeley had been good and no one had known he was at the Lab besides her. Once they were at her apartment, the boy sat down on the couch and watched Brennan move into the kitchen.

"You know Angela is kind of hot, but she's not as pretty as you are." Seeley had enjoyed being at the Lab and considered everyone there his friends even if they didn't know he existed. He wasn't crazy about Zach, but the guy was a genius and didn't seem to have a sense of humor. "I think Sully should have driven you home."

She knew that the boy was nervous for her wellbeing and she appreciated it even if he was getting repetitious. "I'm fine. I'm going to make some salad and have a beer." As she opened the fridge she realized that something was wrong, but she was unable to stop what was about to happen. As she pulled the door to the fridge she saw a bright light erupt in front of her. An intense pressure pushed her up and threw her across the room while a ball of fire seemed to follow her. Unable to prevent it, she landed in the middle of the kitchen floor, her shirt and pants on fire. Her last thought was of her young friend sitting in the next room and how upset he was going to be.

Seeley flew into the kitchen and found Brennan on the floor, her clothes burning. In almost a state of panic, he rushed back into the living room and forced himself to calm down long enough to concentrate on the afghan on the couch. Finally able to pick it up, he carried it into the kitchen and let it drop on Brennan's prone body. Concentrating as hard as he could, he pressed on the afghan and smothered the flaming shirt and pants until the fire was out.

A loud knock on the front door and he knew that someone had heard the blast. After a few poundings on the door, he heard someone kick the door in. Grateful that someone had arrived to help, the boy watched a middle aged man rush into the room, fall to his knees and move the afghan aside. His gasp matched the ghostly boy's reaction. Brennan's injuries were very serious.

Quickly, the blond haired man pulled his phone from his jeans pocket and dialed 911. "There's been an explosion and my neighbor is hurt." After giving the emergency operator the address, he placed his phone down on the floor near his knee and checked to see if Brennan was still breathing. She was, but just barely.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Standing in the corner of the hospital room, Seeley watched Brennan's fellow employees hovering around her while she lay unconscious on her hospital bed. Angela's crying broke his heart and he wished he could do something to help Brennan, but he couldn't, no one could.

Slowly the boy sank to his knees, clasped his hands together, closed his eyes and prayed. _Dear Lord. Please help Temperance Brennan. She's such a good person and her life hasn't been too good, but you can fix that. Her parents disappeared when she was a kid and her brother abandoned her. She didn't let that get her down and she became an forensic anthropologist. She's done so much good, Lord. She's helped identify dead people in war zones. Those people were murdered sometimes by their own government, but she's real brave and she found out who they were and she got them justice and . . . and lately she's been working to catch murderers and helping people get justice. She's great at her job and she cares about the victims she helps._

 _Look what she did for me, she found out who I was and she helped put my Dad in jail and that meant I could have a funeral and she even paid for that . . . oh and she paid for the funerals of that maid that died and her father. She's so nice and she just doesn't deserve to die when she's so young. She hasn't really done anything yet. She needs to do things like get a family besides me. She hasn't really had much happiness Lord. Please help her._

 _Please Lord, have mercy. Please St. Michael please help her. Someone needs to help her. Please please please please please please . . . ._

Ooooooooooooooooo

The room was stark and institutional looking. Brennan sat patiently in the room and waited to see what the agent from Homeland Security was going to do.

Suddenly the door to her right opened and a familiar person walked in, a cocky look on his face, a slight smirk on his lips. He held up his badge and waited for the Homeland Security Agent to recognize him.

"What are you doing here?" Annoyed, Brennan glared at the FBI Agent and wondered how he knew she was there.

"FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth, Major Crimes Investigation, DC. Bones identifies bodies for us." Booth waited for Agent Bennett Gibson to acknowledge him.

Furious, Brennan stood up and shook her head. "Don't call me Bones." Just to make her position clear, she turned to face the Homeland Security Agent. "And I do more that identify."

Amused, Booth held up a copy of Brennan's crime novel that he had been carrying under his arm. "She also writes books." Since he was done with the prop, he dropped it on the table.

His favor complete, Agent Gibson smirked and pointed at the door. "Fine, she's all yours."

Grateful that his plan was working, Booth turned to look at Brennan. "Great, let's grab your skull and let's vamoose."

She might be awkward in social situations, but Brennan smelled a rat and glared at the Homeland Agent. "What, that's it? She's all yours? Why did you stop me?"

Clearly the forensic anthropologist wasn't buying what Booth and he was selling. "What does it matter? You're free to go."

Outraged, Brennan turned to look at the FBI Agetn. "You set me up." Once more she turned to look at the other agent. "You got a hold for questioning from the FBI didn't you?"

The ruse was over, Agent Gibson reached down and picked up Brennan's novel. "I love this book."

Pleased that he had been able to finally connect with Temperance Brennan after almost a year of rejection, Booth knew he'd have to work hard to get Brennan to work with him, but he was confident she would. He had known from the first day he'd seen her that their destinies were connected and he was going to make damn sure this time he didn't do anything to ruin their future together. Last year he'd made a big mistake by grabbing her arm after a case to pull her away from the victim's mother and she'd been angry enough to vow never to work with him again. Unable to forget about her, he had worked for almost a year to try to talk to her because by God, they worked great together and he needed her. He also believed in fate and he knew deep in his soul that they could be more than just work partners, but only time would tell.

Seeley Booth wanted Brennan in his life and he knew that was going to happen. His life had always been hard, but Dr. Temperance Brennan had somehow changed that. Because she was so unique and she was someone he admired, it made him want to be a better man and that helped him to improve his life. As far as he was concerned, fate wanted them to be together and he was going to make sure that they were. After all, it wasn't everyday that you met someone who you instantly felt a bond with. He'd prayed for many years that someone like Temperance Brennan would come into his life and God had finally answered his prayer.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Thanks to everyone who stuck it out and read my story. I really appreciate it since it is definitely AU and supernatural which a lot of people don't care for. This is the last chapter. Let me know what you think of it.

A/N: I wasn't sure how to write the transition so for those of you who aren't sure what happened. God did a do over. Little Seeley asked him to intervene and he did.


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